Silicon Valley films shift from celebrating tech founders to portraying them with scrutiny

A new wave of films and series is shifting the cinematic portrayal of Silicon Valley founders from celebrated geniuses to figures of scrutiny and distrust. Following the success of ‘The Social Network’ in 2010, upcoming projects such as ‘The Other Side of the Net’, the series ‘Cupertino’, and Luca Guadagnino’s ‘Artificial’ reflect a growing public anger toward the impact of big tech.

‘The Other Side of the Net’, written by Aaron Sorkin, focuses on the ‘Facebook Files’ controversy involving leaked internal research regarding the platform's negative effects on users, particularly adolescents. Due to the sensitive nature of the subject, the production required external legal counsel to verify facts and avoid potential lawsuits from Meta. Sorkin noted that the process of ensuring factual accuracy was particularly intense given the legal risks involved.